The defending state champs will play in the state championship match on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium against No. 2 seeded St. Thomas More, which knocked off Loyola Prep 3-1 in the semifinals.

“We were not expecting it to be easy at all, so we came out with the mentality that we would have to play hard,” Ben Franklin senior defender Alyssa Parker said. “I feel like they gave us a run for our money. In the end, we just made it happen.”

The contest was a re-match of last season’s state championship, which the Falcons won 2-0, but Friday was a battle from the opening whistle. The Terriers committed to having numbers back to neutralize Ben Franklin’s offense lead by LSU commit Alex Thomas.

The plan worked for much of the match, but in the 19th minute, Pratt scored when she got a pass from Thomas, made a cut, shifted the ball to her left foot and shot from about 18 yards out.

“I just ripped it,” Pratt said. “I saw it go in the back of the net, and I was already celebrating. It was a great feeling.”

The Terriers (18-8-3) rallied at the end of the first half as a pair of long shots by Kristen Doiron were saved before the halftime whistle. Vandebilt’s best chance came in the 53rd minute when Julia Callejas’ high shot bounce off keeper Katrina Seal’s hands, off the crossbar and back into the field of the play.

The Falcons (18-0) nearly increased their lead two minutes later when Noelle Higginson’s header bounced off the crossbar and back into the box before being cleared. The Terriers continued to pressure but never netted the equalizer.

“Vandebilt made it hard on us,” Ben Franklin Coach Jose Ferrand said. “It was not easy for us to get behind them. They kept us in check, and they were playing the counter attack. They were trying to keep the game low scoring, which they did. We just couldn’t finish our opportunities in the first half, and if you keep a team like Vandebilt in there, they’re going to make it tough.”

The Terriers played eight freshmen as times on Friday, and Vandebilt Coach Philip Amedee said his players executed the game plan well.

“We had a good plan about staying a little deep, and we were also working on keeping No. 6 (Noelle Higginson) from distributing the ball,” he said. “Defensively, we executed well. They took one really good shot and made it. They didn’t get the ball to (Alex Thomas), and when you stop her from scoring, you’ve accomplished something. We played our hearts out, so I can’t ask anything more of them. I couldn’t be any prouder. I wouldn’t trade them for anybody.”

Parker said the Falcons back line of Kate Cronin, Sarah Marble, Gianna Ferrante, Seal and herself performed well.

“I think we don’t get that much credit,” she said. “We have two really good players injured right now, so we’ve been working really, really hard to work on our shape and formation to prevent those through balls. I think we showed that we can play. It definitely feels good to get this win.”

Ferrand said: “The back line is efficient. They’re keeping the ball in front of them, and they’re not making mental mistakes. They’re playing to their ability, and they’re playing simple. That’s all that we ask because it’s a whole new back line from last season.”

“We were definitely a little off today,” she said. “Our touches were a little off. We were all a little slow, but we gutted it out. We knew we had something to prove. We knew we wanted to win just as badly as they did, even more I think. We wanted to be back in the championship.”